Swivel grip for golf clubs



June 25, 1963 sc 3,095,198

SWIVEL GRIP FOR GOLF CLUBS Filed Aug. 2, 1960 INVENTOR.

WWM

United States Patent 3,095,198 SWIVEL GRIP FOR GULF CLUBS Fred Gasche, 4225 Sassafras St, Erie, Pa. Filed Aug. 2, 1966, er. No. 46,944 3 tilaims. (Cl. 273-165) This invention is a free turning or swivel grip for golf clubs which improves the accuracy of the shots. For right handed clubs, the grip is arranged between the right hand and the shaft of the club. Since the grip is free to turn relative to the shaft, the right hand can no longer turn the golf shaft and influence the direction of the shot. So far as direction is concerned, the left hand will control. This means that all shots will go straight. There will also be an absence of hooking or slicing. For left handed clubs, the swivel grip will be for the left hand.

In a preferred form, the grip may consist of a split sleeve which may be easily slipped over the golf shaft. The sleeve has sufficient rigidity so that no matter how tightly gripped, the shaft is free to turn relative to the sleeve.

In the drawing, FIG. 1 shows a right handed golf club with a swivel grip mounted thereon, FIG. 2 is a perspective of one form of the grip, and PEG. 3 is a section through a hinged grip.

In the drawing, the conventional parts of the golf club are readily identified, 1 being the head and 2 the shaft having at its upper end a grip section 3 which is customarily leather or other non slip composition. The grip section 3 extends throughout a substantial part of the upper end of the shaft so that the player may have a choice of positions in which to grip the club.

In use, the left hand is uppermost, as indicated at 4, and the right hand is immediately below in position for the overlapping grip, as indicated at 5. It is desirable that the left hand maintain non slipping contact with the grip section so that it controls the direction of the shot. In order that the right hand may not interfere with the control of the direction of the shot, there is slipped over the grip section 3 a sleeve 6 of sufficiently larger inside diameter to turn freely or swivel relative to the shaft. Conveniently, the sleeve may have a longitudinal slot 7 of greater width than the minimum diameter of the golf shaft so that it may be easily mounted on the golf shaft and then slid lengthwise to the desired position on the grip section 3. The sleeve is rigid enough so that no matter how tightly gripped, it turns freely. This means that the right hand cannot turn the golf shaft and thereby influence the direction of the shot. Not only is there an improvement in direction, but there 3,-95,l% Patented June 25, 1%63 "ice is also an elimination of hooking or-slicing because the right hand can no longer interfere.

The split sleeve 6 is easily shifted from club to club and can be shifted along the length of the grip section of the club to any desired position so that the golfer retains the freedom of choice of position of the grip for each shot.

In FIG. 3, the sleeve has a plurality of semi-cylindrical hinged sections 8 which when closed form a swivel or free turning grip for the club.

In either form, the sleeve presents to the hand nearer the club head an unobstructed cylindrical gripping surface which may be shifted lengthwise to any desired position and will permit the shaft to turn freely therein no matter how tightly gripped.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a golf club having a shaft with a head at the lower end and a grip section of non slip material throughout a substantial part of the upper end of the shaft so the golfer has a choice of positions in which to grip the club, a sleeve encircling the grip section below the hand nearer the upper end of the shaft and having an inside diameter sufficiently larger than the outside diameter of the grip section to be freely rotatable and slidable thereon, said sleeve being a cylinder, the cross section of which consists of a segment of a circle of extent substantially greater than said sleeve having sufiicient rigidity so that no matter how tightly gripped the grip section of the shaft is free to turn freely relative to the sleeve and said sleeve having an unobstructed cylindrical outer gripping surface for overlapping grip by the hand nearer the club head whereby the hand nearer the club head may not interfere with the direction of the shot.

2. The golf club of claim 1 in which the sleeve has a longitudinal slot of width greater than the minimum shaft diameter whereby the sleeve may be readily shifted from club to club.

3. The golf club of claim 1 in which the sleeve has a plurality of semi-cylindrical hinged sections which when closed encircle the grip section of the shaft and form a free turning grip for the hand nearer the club head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,690,312 Rosan Nov. 6, 1928 2,270,882 Link Jan. .27, 1942 2,302,875 Lykins Nov. 24, 1942 2,938,728 Green May 31, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 174,490 Great Britain 1922 

1. IN A GOLF CLUB HAVING A SHAFT WITH A HEAD AT THE LOWER END AND A GRIP SECTION OF NON-SLIP MATERIAL THROUGHOUT A SUBSTANTIAL PART OF THE UPPER END OF THE SHAFT SO THE GOLFER HAS A CHOICE OF POSITIONS IN WHICH TO GRIP THE CLUB, A SLEEVE ENCIRCLING THE GRIP SECTION BELOW THE HAND NEARER THE UPPER END OF THE SHAFT AND HAVING AN INSIDE DIAMETER SUFFICIENTLY LARGER THAN THE OUTSIDE DIAMETER OF THE GRIP SECTION TO BE FREELY ROTATABLE AND SLIDABLE THEREON, SAID SLEEVE BEING A CYLINDER, THE CROSS SECTION OF WHICH CONSISTS OF A SEGMENT OF A CIRCLE OF EXTENT SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN 180*, SAID SLEEVE HAVING SUFFICIENT RIGIDITY SO THAT NO MATTER HOW TIGHTLY GRIPPED THE GRIP SECTION OF THE SHAFT IS FREE TO TURN FREELY RELATIVE TO THE SLEEVE AND SAID SLEEVE HAVING AN UNOBSTRUCTED CYLINDRICAL OUTER GRIPPING SURFACE FOR OVERLAPPING GRIP BY THE HAND NEARER THE CLUB HEAD WHEREBY THE HAND NEARER THE CLUB HEAD MAY NOT INTERFERE WITH THE DIRECTION OF THE SHOT. 